James t



(No Model.)

J. T. SIMPSON.

LAMP SHADE. No. 443,169. Patented Deo. 23,1890.

UNITED STATES vPATENT JAMES T. SIMPSON, OF IVASIIINGTON, DISRIG" OF COLUMBIA.

LAMP-SHADE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,169, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed January 25, 1890. Serial No. 338,104. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. SIMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Shades; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, snch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in lamp-shades, and it has more particular reference to that class of shades which are intended for use in connection with incandescent electric lights.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple and cheaply-constructed shade of this character which may be readily attached to or removed from any of the various forms of electric-light iixtures which are in common use and which will serve to eftectually relieve the glare and produce a mellow light which is not likely to strain or injure the eyesight.

The device is simple and inexpensive in construction and may be readily attached to or removed from thelamp-iixture, and means is provided whereby a free and uniform circulation of air is maintained within the interior of the shade.

To the above ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the same consists in the peculiar construction and in the novel combination, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specication, like letters of reference Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the body of the shade, which is made of card-board or other material adapted to the purpose. The body oi' the shade is preferably made in the form of a truncated cone, as shown, which is provided at its apex with one or more vertical slits B, extending from the extreme upper end of the cone downward for a short distance, the lower end of the slit terminating in a small circular opening B', the object of the opening being to in a measure prevent the slit from tearing downwardly in placing the shade upon the lamp-fixture. kThe extreme upper end of the cone is provided with an inclosed spring O, which may be secured in place within a fold of the paper of which the cone is made; or it may be attached to the inner edge of the cone in any suitable manner. rlhe spring may be a iiat strip of steel, such as is commonly used in the construction of clock-springs; or, it preferred, any of the various forms of spring adapted for use in this connection maybe substituted for the spring shown. The use of the spring in this connection will be readily understood to be to cause the neck of the shade 1o iirmly grasp the lamp-fixture and hold the shade in place. A series of apertures B2 at the upper end of the shade allow the passage of air. The bottom D of the shade is made of any suitable thin translucent 1n aterial-such, forinstance, as tracing-linenand when in place within the body of the shade the edges of the bottom piece are pasted or otherwise secured to the inner walls of the shade a short distance above its lower edge, as shown, and the central portion of the bottom is bulged downwardly, or, if preferred, may be substantially fiat. The bottom piece D is provided at points adjacent to its outer edges with a series of small openings D for the admission of air. These openings being within the interior of the body of the shade, it will be seen that the rays of light which may pass therethrough will not be apparent in the apartment.

Itis at once apparent that a lampshade constructed in accordance with my invention may be subject to many modifications without departing from the spirit of my. inventionwas, for instance, the spring at the upper end of the sha-de may be omitted and the irricnfn IOC shade held in place by the elasticity of the Amaterial of which the body ot' the shade is constructed; I have shown a modification of this kind in Fig. 3 of the drawings, in which figure the body portion of the shade is made of a single piece of card-board, which is provided With a vertical slit extending the entire distance from the top to the bottom of the shade, the edge upon one side overlapping the opposite edge, thus effectually excluding the passage of direct rays of light through the space between the uniting-edges.

Other forms of spring may be substituted for the spring described,and the bottom may be attached in various ways other than that which I have described. All of these modifications in the details o1 construction I fully contemplate as included in the spirit of my invention. The body of the shade may of course be either smooth or corrugated and may be ornamented as desired. Y

I deem it important that the bottom D be of some fibrous translucent material that will expand and contract with the changes of temperature without cracking or tending to destroy its connection with the bodyof the shade. Glass will not serve my purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new is- The herein-described improvement in lampshades, the same comprising, in combination, an opaque body portion made in the form of a truncated cone, provided at its upper end with one or more downWardly-extending slits B and apertures B2 for the passage of air, and a bottom D, made of translucent material and secured at its outer edges within the lower portion of the body of the shade and provided with a series of apertures D', substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iafx my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

JAMES T. SIMPSON. 1Witnesses:

B. H. LAUcKs, FRANKLIN H. I-IOUGH, 

